CLASSICAL RHETORIC is a high school level course focused on the theory of communication and the fundamentals of composition in the process of writing and speech preparation and delivery. Rhetoric has been an essential part of a liberal education since Aristotle. Based on Aristotle's principles of persuasion, as well as other historic texts, rhetoric remains foundational for modern students who wish to sharpen their competency in writing and develop skill in oral communication. Rhetoric meets for in-person once weekly, supplemented by daily at-home activities 3-4 days each week.

 

This course helps the older high school student gain an essential foundation in the tenets of classical rhetoric while developing a biblical worldview of literature, composition, and public speaking. Students analyze persuasive discourse as they learn to discern the explicit and implicit intentions of authors and speakers. Rhetoric is an important companion course for high school students in the upper levels of the Omnibus curriculum. Through the year, rhetoric students prepare various speeches and short written and oral presentations, which culminate in a major semester speech near the end of the course. Classical rhetoric also lays the groundwork for preparing the Senior Thesis the following year to showcase his or her knowledge and expertise within a subject they have studied and would like to research more fully.

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Classical rhetoric builds on the canons of rhetoric introduced in The Lost Tools of Writing, that is invention, arrangement, and elocution, while adding the categories of memory and delivery. This course also deals with the three branches of rhetoric—deliberative (decisions about what might be done in the future), ceremonial (praising or blaming), and judicial (persuading of guilt or innocence)—along with the basic means of persuasion. Students should possess a mastery of basic English grammar and composition prior to enrolling, ideally having completed the first levels of The Lost Tools of Writing or an equivalent writing course.

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Rhetoric is for the student desiring practical help in areas like these: ​​

• Sharpening competency in writing

• Becoming a discerning listener and reader

• Constructing and delivering sound arguments

• Creating and organizing material for presentation

• Arranging ideas for maximum impact

• Identifying goals, obstacles, and means of persuasion

• Expanding one's influence over a listening or reading audience

• Developing confidence and style in oral presentation

• Applying principles and methods of communicating Christianly

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BOOKLIST FOR CLASSICAL RHETORIC*

Primary Texts:​

• The Rhetoric Companion (Wilson & Wilson)

• The Rhetoric and the Poetics of Aristotle (Roberts, trans.)

Secondary Texts:

• Institutio Oratoria (selections provided by teacher)

• Rhetorica Ad Herennium (selections provided by teacher)

• The Elements of Style, 4th Edition (Strunk & White)

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* Represents an unofficial list. A confirmed booklist will be provided for registered students.